Sunday, September 28, 2014

It has officially been one week since Feast Portland's Tillamook Brunch Village and I think I am finally coming off the food high. This is the first year for Brunch Village and it was similar to the Grand Bounty Tasting...but better...because it was all centered around pastries, biscuits and morning cocktails. Portland puts a priority on their "brunching" so it is only fitting that there is a Feast event dedicated to this meal.

We started with Country Cat's bacon birch syrup cinnamon roll and what a way to start off the morning! I could have eaten two of these little pieces of heaven but knew it would be wise to save my stomach for another sweet treat. We wondered over to one of Stumptown's three stations and found cold brew on Nitro. Then, it was time for a Bloody Mary from Whole Foods and a grapefruit mimosa from the Bon Appétit Magazine tent. The Bloody Mar bar was insane...so many hot sauces and garnishes. Typically this is not my cocktail of choice, but with that spread, I had to make one!

Cream puffs on cream puffs at the Travel Oregon booth. Oh and the Eclairs were pretty tasty too.

Last, I finished with Pine State Biscuit's fried chicken sandwich was bacon and sweet apple butter. I have been craving a full size biscuit sandwich since I tried this sweet and savory sample.

The only item I feel I really missed out on was Los Angeles' Egg Slut's bacon kimchi rice with a poached egg and other goodness. They were poaching eggs on site...so impressive and the presentation looked incredible. Check out Union Wine Company's Instagram post and you will know what I am talking about.

I hope Feast Portland brings back Brunch Village next year because I am definitely attending again. In fact, I have already recruited a handful of foodies to join me!

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Yes yes...we went for BBQ...again. We can't seem to get enough of it this summer and when I saw this article on Portland's best ribs, it naturally prompted us to take a stroll to the Alphabet District and try Smokehouse 21. We have probably walked by this place a dozen times and have never noticed it. It is a small restaurant with a sign up high, so be sure to look for it. I believe they have a sandwich board and outdoor seating now so you can keep an eye out for that too.

Although the restaurant is small, the menu definitely isn't. There are a variety of sandwiches, entrees, sides and menu items that can be ordered a la carte. We both ordered entrees with two sides each and of course, I made sure we did not duplicate on side dishes. :)

I have learned that ordering a starter or appetizer at a BBQ joint is never necessary because of the amount of food you get, but when am I EVER practical when it comes to food? So, I started with the bacon molasses cornbread with honey butter syrup. I blame Dylan because he ordered a deviled egg with a big ol' piece of sausage on top and I definitely couldn't let him eat alone.

Our combined order was pulled pork, brisket, cole slaw, mac n' cheese, potato salad and baked beans. I have the hardest time ordering anything but pulled pork and wasn't disappointed. Dylan said the brisket was some of the best he has had - even better than Podnah's Pit in NE Portland! It was tender and smoky with a lot of flavor. All their meat is served dry so you can add sauce to your liking. I went for the classic Texan-style sauce but they have many others to choose from.

cornbread

pulled pork, baked beans, slaw

mouth full, in his happy place for sure

Next time we visit, we will definitely try the spare ribs and their house Bloody Mary.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

We have had such a beautiful summer this year and I can't think of a better way to end it than celebrating Oregon's incredible bounty. Feast Portland is three days of eating and drinking anything and everything you can imagine. This celebration takes over the city with chef speaker series, grand tasting, dinner series, a night market and my NEW favorite - Brunch Village. Stay tuned because I will be sharing my brunch experience with you with lots of photos after the event. Although this event is sold out, there are many still available over the weekend.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Our brunch pick took us East of downtown Vancouver and I have to say, I hesitated as we drove away from the city. We were still determined to find the diner and at the very least, check it out. Once we reached The Red Wagon Cafe and saw the line outside, all hesitation went away. A long line of locals is a great sign! Funny how all the sudden MY brunch picked turned into Dylan's "great pick."We had a short wait, probably because it was Monday. I imagine on the weekends there is a lot longer wait since the restaurant isn't very large. The staff was friendly as they bussed and seated people quickly.

The menu speciality is their pulled pork pancakes served with three buttermilk pancakes layered with pulled pork and JD-spiked maple syrup. Although I am a pulled pork lover, I did not order them because I had my eye on the sausage breakfast sandwich with two eggs, aged cheddar, tomato chutney, mayo, arugula, ciabatta and home fries.

Oh and then there were the chilaquiles...with added pork belly. Dylan's pick as per usual. Always a great choice and seriously, look at the size of that piece of pork belly.

We enjoyed this casual diner and would love to check it out for dinner next time we find ourselves in Vancouver. Don't be fooled by the location and the lack of curb appeal because once you get inside, you won't be disappointed!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Like any metropolitan city, you can pretty much find a place to get a drink on every corner and Vancouver was no different. Since I am a freak about food and drink, I did a lot of research on Eater before hand. Our second day in the city, we did some day drinking but nothing with alcohol (I know, I know...so disappointing). Instead, we got out caffeine fix at two local coffee places and we were NOT disappointed. Thanks to this article on Eater, we ventured to Revolver and Timbertrain.

Revolver was packed so apparently this place is no secret. They were out of cold brew, so we shared an iced Americano. They rotate their coffee roasts daily and noticed Portland's Heart Coffee available for sale. If it wasn't so busy we would have ordered the coffee sampler but with no AC and sweaty people, we got our coffee to go.

From there, we made our way to Timbertrain, which was awesome. They have cold brew on Nitro which made for a creamy and delicious coffee. It looked just like a Porter or Stout beer. I would highly recommend this gem of a place. They are relatively new (only open 7 months) and they roast all their own coffee. We couldn't walk away without a bag.

Once our caffeine high wore off, we decided to go get some food and headed to the industrial rail area, to The Belgard Kitchen. This place is neat because it is a kitchen, brewery and urban winery all under one roof. I am obsessed. I loved everything about the ambiance, service, food and drink. Dylan ordered a craft beer flight from Postmark Brewing and I ordered a wine flight from Vancouver Urban Winery. Our favorite wine was the Cedar Creek Ehrenfelser...never have I ever tried this blend. Apparently it is a popular BC blend from the Okanagan region.

We stayed for hours enjoying the food, a bottle of wine and conversation with our awesome server. All the wine is served from the tap so nothing comes in a bottle. A "bottle" of wine is served in a vintage decanter and no two are alike. The staff and owners search the city for these unique beauties.